Access to tidepools from the visitor center in Cabrillo National Monument would be improved under a proposed trails plan/NPS, Don Endicott
Possible routes for new trails/NPS
Three new hiking trails at Cabrillo National Monument, including one that links the tidepools to the visitor center, are part of a Trails Management Plan under review at the San Diego park.
The plan also calls for improvements to the Event Bluff Trail, Bayside Trail, Coastal Trail, and access points to the tidepools. Other proposed new trails include an ABA-accessible trail along the road between Parking Lot 3 and Parking Lot 1, and pedestrian access routes through the visitor center parking lot. As for the trail to the tidepools, three options are under consideration:
- A route from the monument’s upper parking lot to Parking Lot 3
- A route paralleling Cabrillo Road
- A route from Bayside Trail to Parking Lot 1
Cabrillo is taking public comment on the proposal through April 16, with alternatives scheduled to be released this summer and a final recommendation expected in the fall. Park officials would like to know what trails should be included and what visitors think about the proposed changes.
To comment
- Deadline: April 16, 2017
- Online: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/cabrillotmp
- Mail: Cabrillo National Monument; Attn: Trails Planning Team; 1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive; San Diego, CA 92106
Comments
Please send your comments to the planning website as well as make them here.
The proposed trails do a couple of things:
reduce long-term trail maintenence costs.
reduce safety issue of visitors walking down the road to the tidepools, on a road with no sidewalks or shoulders or walkable area off the pavement.
make the parking area more ABA/ADA compliant, also mitigating safety issues.
reduce erosion & other negative effects on natural resources from current trails (bayside, coastal, bluff).
Nonetheless, if you are worried about more trails needing more maintenence, make that point!